A Week in Winter, by Maeve Binchy

I finished the book. I dragged it out as long as possible, because I knew that once it was over, it was really over. This story focuses around the opening of a small bed and breakfast in Ireland, but like all Maeve Binchy books, it is really the characters that take the center stage.

If you love Binchy’s writing, you will love A Week in Winter. Each chapter covers a different character, starting with the owner and those who work for the small bed and breakfast that is about to open. As each chapter begins, the employees and guests of the Stone House come alive. You learn their history, and perhaps, receive a glimpse into their future. Some of the characters will be familiar from other Binchy books, and many of the characters have lived in places from other Binchy books. Each of the chapters could really stand alone as a tiny story in itself.

I found myself counting down the pages to the end of the book, disappointed that I couldn’t spend more time with each character. I must tell you, as soon as I finished the final page, I instantly broke into tears. It’s not that the book ended in a sad way…it didn’t. It’s that the book ended at all. Because I knew that it wouldn’t be a matter of waiting months for the next book to come out; I knew that this is the final book, the final chance to spend time with Maeve Binchy.

I wish I had the opportunity to chat with Maeve Binchy, to just sit and enjoy a cup of coffee (tea, I suppose…). She noted that she had no regrets in her life, and it seems like she lived it exactly as she liked. She seemed as though she was truly happy and comfortable in herself and her talents. We should all be so lucky. It’s rather a reminder to do what you like, and make sure that your legacy is one in which you have touched others and encouraged them to try better for themselves.